A Dialect is a named, versioned unit of interpretation. Its Rules match Terraform or OpenTofu plan and state instances and can add Concepts, Contexts, Relations, Contributions, or composition meaning. A Dialect does not decide which observed instances exist and cannot create a missing managed or data instance.
Every observed managed and data instance has a Representation before a Rule interprets it. A matching Rule can classify that instance and establish facts. With no matching Rule, the instance remains represented without a guessed Concept. This is a coverage gap, not the same as a Rule whose endpoint cannot be resolved from available evidence. See How Rootform works for the distinction between instance and Rule coverage.
Rule matching uses source kind, resource type, provider binding, and any predicate over supported instance evidence. Two instances of one Terraform declaration can therefore receive different interpretation. An ambiguous or failed interpretation leaves its own status and diagnostics. It does not silently fall back to a plausible Rule. See How Rootform works.
For a subnet whose vpc_id identifies a VPC, an AWS Rule can classify the subnet and establish a network Context toward that VPC. The value or verified direct traversal is evidence. The Rule gives it architectural meaning. A depends_on edge, matching resource name, or provider type alone creates no Context or Relation. How Rootform works explains this boundary across all fact types.
An emission closes as resolved, absent, or indeterminate per instance. A paired saved plan can establish a Planned-stage identity traversal when a value is unknown until apply. A state export has values and masks but no traversal snapshot. If an eligible target has unknown identity, the closure can remain indeterminate even if one candidate looks plausible. Forms and stages explains closures and provenance.
RF Vocabulary is an embedded language contract owned by the reserved rf namespace. It supplies shared Concepts and Contexts, including rf.concept.virtual-network, rf.concept.subnet, and rf.context.network. It is not a provider Dialect: it has no provider binding or Rules, cannot be excluded or replaced, and is never installed or vendored. Provider Dialects can use these terms so architectures from different providers share a vocabulary; Dialect-owned meaning retains its own owner identity, such as aws.rule.subnet.
The RF Vocabulary reference lists exact symbols. A shared Concept does not imply identical provider behavior. Its Rule and evidence still explain each fact.
The executable embeds the official Dialects and RF Vocabulary. They are available without a project lock; external selections must already be prepared as the project lock describes. Run these inspections from the project root with the binary used for the analysis, then inspect a Rule before interpreting a result:
rootform list dialects aws --format wideNAME VERSION ORIGIN CONCEPTS CONTEXTS RELATIONS RULESaws 0.1.0 embedded 64 0 1 108rootform show aws.rule.subnet --color alwaysaws.rule.subnet
Matches resource "aws_subnet"Produces rf.concept.subnetDefined network/vpc.rf.hcl:18
Contexts (1) rf.context.network with rf.concept.virtual-network via source.vpc_idORIGIN confirms which unit supplies the Dialect, such as embedded for the binary or local for a project source. Counts describe the Dialect's definitions, not coverage of the current project. The Rule inspection identifies the source type, produced Concept, and network context dimension emission. rootform explain instance <address> --input <input> shows which Rule actually interpreted an instance and which closures resolved. See the show reference for inspection forms.
The binary fixes its embedded Dialects. rootform.lock records exact external selections, exclusions, and replacements. A provider binding retains the observed registry host, address, alias, and module context; Rootform does not assume two registries are equivalent because a provider name matches. Explicit provider mapping can make a binding choice visible and reviewable.
Changing the active Dialect selection can change Concepts, facts, diagnostics, and coverage even when a plan is unchanged. A saved Form keeps the Dialect selection used for interpretation; reopening it does not reinterpret its instances. Select Dialects and Policy Packs explains command selection, and external content explains installation and locks. To author interpretation, use Write a Dialect and the Dialect language reference.